Collaboration

Pixelated World

Pixel Artist Joo Jaebum Creates a Giant World One Small Square of Dots at a Time

People old enough to remember low-resolution graphics found nostalgia in the striking square dots of pixel art. Interestingly, pixel art is also appealing to young people who are unfamiliar with the concept of the pixel, riding on the world¡¯s ¡°retro¡± and ¡°newtro¡± craze. Pixel art has been dubbed ¡°dot style¡± or ¡°8bit,¡± establishing itself as an art genre.

The Beginning of Everything: Dots

As pixel art grows popular, pixel artists are also gaining traction. Joo Jaebum is one of the most active pixel artists. There seems to be no limit to the world he can represent in pixels, including personal work, collaborations with other artists and commercial collaborations.

However, it is not that Joo was interested in pixel art from the beginning. ¡°I was originally an animator. As I was working on animations that required highly detailed work, I found the pixel art attractive, which is simple and clear unlike animation. I started my work by applying pixels to the animation techniques.¡±

Pixel artworks he drew for fun spread online, and international magazines contacted him for interviews, which led to a quest for work and began the path as a pixel artist. So far, many masterpieces, portraits, landscape paintings, and animations have been created with pixel art through his hands.

Pixels Outside of the Screen

Is pixel art an art genre that can only be enjoyed online? Since the pixel itself is a concept born of digital displays, it can easily be assumed that pixelated worlds exist only online. However, Joo is presenting pixel art using various materials as a way to showcase the pixelated world through different concepts.

Joo uses glass tiles, toy blocks and embroidery to create a pixelated world in the real world. For example, in a collaboration with French kinetic artist Mo2, dozens of pinwheels gathered to create the masterpiece ¡°Girl with a Pearl Earring¡± in street vents. In the ¡°Korean Painting¡± series, which is a solo work, he created an artwork that blended traditional and modern art by embroidering on the palate.

As he utilizes different materials and spaces depending on the subject, Joo goes through a lot of trial and error until he realizes the image in his head. ¡°Every time I challenge a new concept, I get a lot of help from my fellow artists, engineers, and curators in various fields.¡±

Building a Worldview With Pixels

Joo¡¯s pixelated world continues to expand through collaboration. Joo is actively working on collaborations with global companies that have found his pixel art impressive. They are mostly many famous global companies such as Dior, Microsoft, WeWork, Google, Instagram, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Gentle Monster and Hyundai.

It is ¡°worldview¡± that Joo keeps in mind during all collaborations. ¡°I create works based on my interests, life, and experience. In that way, the new artwork produced is once more assimilated into my worldview. The interesting thing about the collaboration is that the worldview of the brand and my worldview meet to create a whole new world. I try really hard to embody that world with pixels.¡±

For Joo, pixels are a medium for meeting and communicating with a variety of people. His dream is to have more people encounter pixel art in diverse forms. Therefore, his pixelated world will continue to expand.